Mission

To prepare psychologists for specialty practice in clinical neuropsychology consistent with Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology core competencies within a learning environment that promotes excellence in clinical practice, research, and professional development within the community and military medicine.

Vision

Be a premier training program in neuropsychology within military medicine, known for producing highly skilled and competent neuropsychologists who are capable of making significant contributions to the field.

Aims

To provide fellows with advanced training in neuropsychological assessment, brain-behavior relationships, diagnostics, and intervention with a focus on evidence-based practices and ethical standards. To provide opportunities for fellows to engage in projects and scholarly activities that contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of neuropsychology. To support fellows in developing their professional identity and skills, including communication, collaboration, and leadership abilities, in order to prepare them for successful careers in a wide rage of practice.

The Neuropsychology Fellowship at BAMC is fortunate to have a wide range of resources available for didactic learning. Fellows attend a weekly, multi-site video teleconference reading seminar and case conference jointly sponsored by BAMC, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Tripler Army Medical Center, and monthly Neuropsychology Grand Rounds sponsored by the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. The Fellowship program also invites one Distinguished Visiting Professor each year, typically a nationally known neuropsychologist. DVPs are also regularly brought to San Antonio by the BAMC Warrior Resiliency Program.

The fellowship is primarily located in the outpatient Neuropsychology Service at BAMC. Services are provided to a diverse adult population, including active duty military personnel, retirees, and family members. A wide range of ethnic groups are represented. Patient referrals are received from various departments at BAMC for evaluation of a wide range of conditions, including traumatic brain injury, neurological diseases and disorders, cerebrovascular disorders, psychiatric conditions including posttraumatic stress disorder, mood, anxiety, and somatoform disorders, and a wide range of developmental and degenerative conditions. Fellows review electronic medical records, conduct clinical interviews, select, administer, score, and interpret neuropsychological and psychological tests, participate in case conceptualization, develop recommendations, write reports, and provide feedback to patients. Individual supervision is provided by staff neuropsychologists on all cases. Fellows also advise military Medical Evaluation and Disability Boards on service members’ “fitness for duty” and level of cognitive and functional impairment.

Additional clinical rotations and training opportunities include rotations in the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Specialty Clinic at BAMC and at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital in San Antonio. Each of these rotations exposes fellows to additional learning opportunities and responsibilities, as well as diverse patient populations, neuropsychological assessment techniques, supervisory styles, and intervention modalities. The VA rotation provides fellows greater exposure to a geriatric population, as well as patients with complex medical, psychiatric, psychosocial, and substance abuse histories. The BIRS rotation gives fellows the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary therapeutic milieu, where they participate in assessment, consultation, treatment planning, and cognitive rehabilitation for patients with moderate to severe brain injuries, who often have co-morbid psychological diagnoses including PTSD.

Embedded throughout the Fellowship Program’s rotations, didactics, and training opportunities.

Embedded throughout the Fellowship Program’s rotations, didactics, and training opportunities.

Fellows are expected to complete the National Academy of Neuropsychology Distance Neuroanatomy course, and are required to design and carry out an original neuropsychological research project. Fellows are encouraged to submit the project as a poster or for publication. Those who are invited to present their poster/research typically receive funding to attend one national neuropsychology conference during the two-year fellowship.

Embedded throughout the Fellowship Program’s rotations, didactics, and training opportunities.

• BAMC outpatient neuropsychology
• BAMC brain injury rehabilitation specialty service
• South Texas Veterans Healthcare System

Refer to the Curriculum & Schedule section for in-depth descriptions of all core and elective rotations offered.

Requirements

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, come from an APA-accredited graduate program, and have an APA-accredited internship. Applicants must have completed all requirements for graduation before starting the Fellowship. Entry into the program is contingent upon the successful completion of all requirements, including the defense or completion of the dissertation/required project.

The knowledge base upon entry into the Fellowship will ordinarily include doctoral level competency in the following substantive areas:

General Psychology Core

• Statistics and Research Methodology
• Learning, cognition, and perception
• Personality and social psychology
• Physiology of behavior
• Lifespan development

Basic Clinical Core

• Psychopathology
• Interview and assessment techniques
• Intervention techniques
• Professional ethics

Interns from APA-accredited programs are usually able to meet these general requirements. This knowledge base will become the foundation for specialty training in Clinical Neuropsychology. It is advantageous for applicants to have had coursework in neuropsychology and neurosciences in the graduate program and clinical experience in neuropsychology during the internship year. The military beneficiary population includes a wide range of cultural and ethnic groups. The military beneficiary population includes a wide range of cultural and ethnic groups. Knowledge and experience in cultural and individual diversity is therefore highly desirable.

Application

The Neuropsychology Fellowship at BAMC is a member of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology. Civilian fellows were previously selected through the annual APPCN Match. Army and Air Force fellows are currently selected each year by special selection panels that consider various aspects of the applicants’ backgrounds and military careers. While the Fellowship Director may review applications, interview candidates by phone, and provide some input to the selection panels, the Program Director is not a member of the panels and does not participate directly in the selection process. Selection panels generally convene approximately 10 months (Air Force) to 14 months (Army) before the start of fellowship, making early awareness, preparation, and application essential.

• Army applicants can find additional information regarding the application process at the U.S. Army Human Resource Command Long Term Health Education and Training website.
• Air Force applicants can find additional information regarding the application process at the Air Force Medical Service Knowledge Exchange BSC Education Branch website.

Available, and embedded in all rotations as well as within didactic trainings.

Case presentation at multi-site virtual training consortium, annual neuropsychology grand rounds presentation.

The core faculty is comprised of one neuropsychologist located in the Neuropsychology Service at BAMC, one neuropsychologist in the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Clinic, two neuropsychologists at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital, and one neuropsychologist at the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center. All staff members are fellowship trained in accordance with the Houston Conference Guidelines for specialty training in Clinical Neuropsychology, and the Program Director is board-certified in Clinical Neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology/American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology.

The BAMC Department of Behavioral Medicine sponsors an APA-accredited Clinical Psychology internship, as well as three additional postdoctoral fellowships. There are 35 additional psychologists on the DBM staff who are involved with the various training programs. Joint training and professional socialization opportunities enhances the quality and diversity of all of the programs

Available, and embedded in all rotations as well as within didactic trainings.

Wellness and professional development discussion is incorporated throughout program activities. Individual and group supervision provides dedicated time for supervisors to check in with their residents about how they are doing personally, and if they need additional support. Group supervision also offers an opportunity for residents to provide peer feedback to each other about wellness or concerns related to performance or burnout. The Program Director regularly checks in with each resident and has a more focused discussion about wellness and burnout during monthly meetings. Fellows receive information about wellness resources available to them, as well as how to access behavioral health and medical services if needed.